Another Spring, Another New Football Job for SDSU’s Maxey

Now, Larry Maxey wasn’t complaining, although he might have had a right to. He was walking across the courtyard of the Aztec Athletic Center at San Diego State one day earlier this week, talking about learning a new position in spring football. It’s a yearly occurrence for him, like homecoming and registering for classes.

“No telling what I’ll be next year,” he said.

He was joking--sort of.

Maxey came to SDSU as a running back when Denny Stolz was still coach and redshirted in 1988, his first year. Then Al Luginbill took over, and Maxey spent last spring learning to play strong safety. This spring? It’s back to offense, where Maxey is learning the nuances of H-back, a receiver in the Aztecs’ one-back alignment.

You really wouldn’t blame him if he were bitter. This is the guy’s third position, and he has used only one year of eligibility.

You really wouldn’t blame him if he felt sorry for himself. He didn’t ask for a new coach who would change his position.

You really wouldn’t blame him if he felt, well . . .

“At first, I felt dogged out, basically,” he said. “But I thought about it and thought it was a compliment to my athletic ability that he asked me to play safety.

“It turned out better for me because I did play quite a bit. Playing, period, helped me to understand the intensity it takes to play at this level. But I would have never let Coach Luginbill know I wasn’t happy. I’m a team player. No way was I going to say no. After I got out there, it was fine.”

Like most of his teammates, Maxey had always been a star. On the playgrounds, in high school, for as long as anyone can remember. Put a football in his arms and gang way.

He was the offensive player of the year in the Eastern League at Morse High in 1987, rushing for more than 1,300 yards. He led San Diego County in punt returns and decided to play football at SDSU.

The honors didn’t stop coming despite his redshirt year. Sure, he was in street clothes on game days, but you should have seen him on the practice field. He was picked as scout team offensive player of the year.

But Luginbill came along and took one look at the roster as he was preparing for his first spring practice last year, and his eyes widened in horror. He decided he had to do something, anything, to improve the defensive backfield. One of the things he decided to do was move Maxey to defense. Damage control, basically.

“He’s a natural offensive player,” Luginbill said. “Larry really helped our football team last year. He sacrificed some personal things for the betterment of the team. That’s what makes him a great person to be around.”

It wasn’t easy. Maxey started the second game, against UCLA, and was a fixture in the lineup for the next seven weeks. The Aztecs were having their best season since their Holiday Bowl year of 1986, but at times, you could find more open space in the defensive backfield than in Balboa Park. Then, on Nov. 4, Terance Mathis and his New Mexico teammates paid a visit.

Except for the part of his media guide biography that read, “If Terance passes a couple of classes this summer, he’ll be eligible for his senior season,” Mathis had some impressive credentials. On that Saturday night against SDSU, Mathis caught six passes for 147 yards and one touchdown. Much of Mathis’ work was done in areas of the field for which Maxey was responsible.

“In that game, I felt helpless,” Maxey said. “He destroyed my confidence.”

Maxey was benched for the second half and didn’t play the next week against Wyoming.

His high school coach, John Shacklett, was at the New Mexico game.

“Why didn’t you play in the second half?” Shacklett wondered.

His parents attend every SDSU home game.

“Why aren’t you playing?” his mother wondered.

When Maxey watched the films, his eyes hurt from what he saw. When he got home, his ears burned from the questions. How do you explain embarrassment?

On the Monday after the Wyoming game, Ron Mims, defensive backfield coach, told Maxey that the team needed more production at strong safety. Whoever had the best week of practice--he or David Cooper--would start.

“After Coach Mims talked with me, I realized what they were trying to do to me,” Maxey said. “When somebody feels too comfortable . . . “

The coaches got Maxey’s attention. By the end of the week, Maxey was told he would start at Miami.

He finished the year with 76 tackles but broke up just one pass and had just one interception.

“It was a difficult time for him because we were asking things that weren’t natural for him,” Luginbill said. “He’s never had to play the game on anything other than natural instincts. He wasn’t making some plays maybe he should have been making.”

Said Maxey: “I didn’t get the picks (interceptions) most safeties do, but I had a lot of tackles. By the end of the last game, I had a feel for it--I knew if I stayed there I’d eventually become a pretty good safety and have a lot better year this year.”

Heh, heh, heh. At the end of the season, he met again with Luginbill. He was being shifted back to offense.

You got it. The guy who wanted to play offense had begun to enjoy defense.

“When he mentioned it to me, I was kind of reluctant,” Maxey said. “I was used to defense, and I didn’t want to have to fight for the a position and learn all over again.”

So he is back on the field, in the spring, learning a new position. And, yes, he is happy about it.

“I love offense, and I’m glad to be back,” he said. “I think I can help the team more on offense than I could on defense.”

Jimmy Raye and Mert Harris are Maxey’s biggest competition at H-back. Raye was third on the team in receiving last season and, unless something strange happens, will be the starter this fall.

“I know I’m playing well enough to play, and I’m not concerned with depth charts,” Maxey said. “The way we run things, we all go in and out. I’m certainly not afraid of not playing. I know I’ll be on the field doing something. I think I’ve picked things up better than the coaches expected.”

Curtis Johnson, SDSU receivers coach, agrees.

“I didn’t think he’d be as good as he is,” Johnson said. “If there were a game tomorrow, he’d be in there playing.”

One of Maxey’s biggest problems this spring, he said, has been dropped passes. At times, he has been so worried about where he was supposed to be that he had a tendency to take his eye off the ball. Besides, making a catch with a defender practically on top of you is a little different from catching the ball in the backfield and having some room to work.

The worst times are when he is trying to recognize what scheme the defense is in.

“When you’re on the line, you’re looking at the quarterback,” Maxey said. “On the snap, you’ve got to turn and look at the defense and say, ‘Is he playing me zone? Is he playing me man?’ I think that’s the hardest thing to do, recognize coverages.”

Of course, having played defense for a season has given Maxey somewhat of an advantage.

“Playing defense helped me to realize what they’re playing,” Maxey said. “I think that’s the hardest thing to do--recognize and try to read coverages and know what people are trying to do to you.”

Meanwhile, aside from an on-the-field education, Maxey picked up a valuable off-the-field lesson during the past year that he hopes will help him this fall.

“I’ll never get to the point where I doubt my ability,” Maxey said. “It was a major learning experience for me. Doubting myself didn’t help myself or the team. I learned that great receivers drop balls, great running backs fumble and great safeties miss tackles. It’s a matter of coming back the next day and doing it right.”